Space and Earth Sciences News

A telescope in Hawaii has detected methane in the atmosphere of an extrasolar planet, proving that ground-based instruments can hunt for lifeAstronomers have peered into the atmosphere of a faraway planet using a telescope in Hawaii, a feat that marks a major step forward in the search for life beyond the solar system.Until now, scientists have only been able to analyse the atmospheres of such distant worlds using the Hubble and Spitzer space telescopes, which are in orbit around the Earth.The latest study is the first to observe the atmosphere of a distant planet using a ground-based telescope, proving that these more versatile and powerful instruments can join in the search for extraterrestrial life.Scientists pointed Nasa's Infrared Telescope Facility at a distant planet called HD 189733b some 63 light years away in the constellation of Vulpecula.The telescope, which is perched on the summit of Mauna Kea, a volcanic island in Hawaii, picked up signs of methane in the planet's atmosphere that could not be s